3
If I have missed an method please mention it in a post and I will add it to the poll. (note methods added later might be short a few votes since others already voted and didn't delete and revote. So % may be as important as overall numbers)
Also please feel free to comment on the merits and drawbacks of the different methods. (and ignore trolls they go away if you don't feed them, oh no this might be a crumb)
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Present methods
Only Arm mounted weapons with lower arm actuators converge. (no random factors)
Spoiler
There may be small variations on this, but the central idea is:
All weapons in CT, RT, LT, and Head all fire exactly straight forward parallel to each other.
Weapons on arms that do NOT have a lower arm actuator (Jaggermech, Stalker, Jenner, etc..) fire straight ahead parallel to each other.
Weapons on arms the have a lower arm actuator have all weapons fire at a single point just like they do now.
This method would have a minor change to the HUD that would show where each weapon would hit.
There may be small variations on this, but the central idea is:
All weapons in CT, RT, LT, and Head all fire exactly straight forward parallel to each other.
Weapons on arms that do NOT have a lower arm actuator (Jaggermech, Stalker, Jenner, etc..) fire straight ahead parallel to each other.
Weapons on arms the have a lower arm actuator have all weapons fire at a single point just like they do now.
This method would have a minor change to the HUD that would show where each weapon would hit.
All weapons converge over time. (no random factors)
Spoiler
All weapons still converge to fire at the exact point you aim at, however it is not instant. Holding your aiming reticle over a point will make your weapons converge on that point this would probably take 0.1 to 1 second depending on how it is programmed then balanced.
Some variations include having movement, heat, and range affect the speed of convergence.
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(If I got this wrong tell me please)
Renthrak suggests a convergence time of around 5 seconds. This would be to the point your aim is focused on however, so aiming at the ground at similar distance to where your target will be will make your convergence very close to accurate and for perfect accuracy would only take a very short time. Going from a close range to long range target would take longer up to the full 5 seconds.
This would have some advantages over a quicker convergence. Some other effects of this would be circling lights would almost be required to aim for the legs (they often do now) or their reticle would be focused at long range from leading the target and weapons would totally unconverge. Another affect is hiding behind cover and popping out would cause your weapons to converge on the cover at almost no range, totally throwing them off for a sniper shot after leaving cover.
All weapons still converge to fire at the exact point you aim at, however it is not instant. Holding your aiming reticle over a point will make your weapons converge on that point this would probably take 0.1 to 1 second depending on how it is programmed then balanced.
Some variations include having movement, heat, and range affect the speed of convergence.
_________________________________________________________________________
(If I got this wrong tell me please)
Renthrak suggests a convergence time of around 5 seconds. This would be to the point your aim is focused on however, so aiming at the ground at similar distance to where your target will be will make your convergence very close to accurate and for perfect accuracy would only take a very short time. Going from a close range to long range target would take longer up to the full 5 seconds.
This would have some advantages over a quicker convergence. Some other effects of this would be circling lights would almost be required to aim for the legs (they often do now) or their reticle would be focused at long range from leading the target and weapons would totally unconverge. Another affect is hiding behind cover and popping out would cause your weapons to converge on the cover at almost no range, totally throwing them off for a sniper shot after leaving cover.
Cone of Fire based on holding reticle on target. (has random factors that skill can remove)
Spoiler
Weapons will fire at a random point within a circle that becomes smaller the longer you hold your reticle on target.
This circle would probably still be fairly small so you would most likely hit with most weapons at a range of under 300m even if you fired instantly.
For longer range shots or to hit a specific location on the enemy mech you would need to hold your reticle on the target for up to 0.5 or 1 second until all weapons converged to an exact point like they do now.
The longer you held your target the less inaccuracy would be involved so even if you did not hold it for the entire time your weapons would have less spread.
This could be, all weapons hit same exact point in cone. (point they hit is random but they still all hit that point)
OR
All weapons hit different spots within the cone (removes the high alpha damage to a single location)
Weapons will fire at a random point within a circle that becomes smaller the longer you hold your reticle on target.
This circle would probably still be fairly small so you would most likely hit with most weapons at a range of under 300m even if you fired instantly.
For longer range shots or to hit a specific location on the enemy mech you would need to hold your reticle on the target for up to 0.5 or 1 second until all weapons converged to an exact point like they do now.
The longer you held your target the less inaccuracy would be involved so even if you did not hold it for the entire time your weapons would have less spread.
This could be, all weapons hit same exact point in cone. (point they hit is random but they still all hit that point)
OR
All weapons hit different spots within the cone (removes the high alpha damage to a single location)
Cone of Fire based on movement, heat, and other factors. (random factors tactics can remove)
Spoiler
Weapons will fire at a random point within a circle that becomes larger if you are engaged in activities that would throw off your aim:
Moving, the faster you move the bigger the penalty (could be % of max speed)
Heat, the higher your heat the bigger the penalty (likely no penalty under 50 or 75% of max)
Range, the further your range beyond a weapons standard range the bigger the penalty
Standing still with low heat and within your weapons range would still give a perfect pinpoint shot.
This circle would probably still be small enough so you would most likely hit with most weapons as long as you were only affected by one penalty, but stacking penalties could make shots be very hard to hit with.
This could be, all weapons hit same exact point in cone. (point they hit is random but they still all hit that point)
OR
All weapons hit different spots within the cone (removes the high alpha damage to a single location)
Weapons will fire at a random point within a circle that becomes larger if you are engaged in activities that would throw off your aim:
Moving, the faster you move the bigger the penalty (could be % of max speed)
Heat, the higher your heat the bigger the penalty (likely no penalty under 50 or 75% of max)
Range, the further your range beyond a weapons standard range the bigger the penalty
Standing still with low heat and within your weapons range would still give a perfect pinpoint shot.
This circle would probably still be small enough so you would most likely hit with most weapons as long as you were only affected by one penalty, but stacking penalties could make shots be very hard to hit with.
This could be, all weapons hit same exact point in cone. (point they hit is random but they still all hit that point)
OR
All weapons hit different spots within the cone (removes the high alpha damage to a single location)
Firing multiple weapons at once reduces accuracy.(random factors that only affect group firing)
Spoiler
This idea invokes the idea that recoil of weapons reduces accuracy.
and the amount of inaccuracy would depend a lot on the type of weapons being fired.
Lasers would add no inaccuracy
Multiple small projectiles or missiles like AC/2, AC/5, LRM 5, and SRM 4 would add only a tiny bit.
Multiple large projectiles or missiles like AC/10, PPC, LRM 15, and Gauss would add significant inaccuracy.
So firing 3x AC/2 or 2 AC/5 at once might throw your aim off by 0.1 degrees (this amount could be adjusted)
Or firing 3x AC/5 or 2x PPC at once might throw your aim off by 0.3 degrees
Firing 2x AC/20 or 3x PPC at once might throw your aim off by 0.5 degrees
Note at 100m 1 degree still hit a light mech but maybe not the location you aimed for. At over 300m 1 degree would likely still hit an assault if aimed center mass. At 1000m 0.1 degree would still often hit. (just estimates would have to test in game to be certain easy to adjust though with a little testing)
There are two real methods to how aim is thrown off. One is a truly random spread. The other is an exact distance in an exact direction allowing a player to modify their aim to account for the recoil (the direction could be made random each match if desired but stay for entire match)
This idea invokes the idea that recoil of weapons reduces accuracy.
and the amount of inaccuracy would depend a lot on the type of weapons being fired.
Lasers would add no inaccuracy
Multiple small projectiles or missiles like AC/2, AC/5, LRM 5, and SRM 4 would add only a tiny bit.
Multiple large projectiles or missiles like AC/10, PPC, LRM 15, and Gauss would add significant inaccuracy.
So firing 3x AC/2 or 2 AC/5 at once might throw your aim off by 0.1 degrees (this amount could be adjusted)
Or firing 3x AC/5 or 2x PPC at once might throw your aim off by 0.3 degrees
Firing 2x AC/20 or 3x PPC at once might throw your aim off by 0.5 degrees
Note at 100m 1 degree still hit a light mech but maybe not the location you aimed for. At over 300m 1 degree would likely still hit an assault if aimed center mass. At 1000m 0.1 degree would still often hit. (just estimates would have to test in game to be certain easy to adjust though with a little testing)
There are two real methods to how aim is thrown off. One is a truly random spread. The other is an exact distance in an exact direction allowing a player to modify their aim to account for the recoil (the direction could be made random each match if desired but stay for entire match)
DocBach's Reactive Reticle (A convergence based on movement, range, and other factors: Detailed)
Spoiler
This is the work of DocBach copied from his thread http://mwomercs.com/...active-reticle/ it has more information about his reasoning and other peoples comments if you wish for further clarification.
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A New Reticle For Group Fired Weapons:
The original reticle would be retained for the purposes of providing the player an aiming reference point for single fired weapons. An additional expanding and contracting reticle would be added around the existing reticle to serve as a group firing reticle. Instead of having the center of the reticule be the point of convergence for grouped weapons, each location of the 'Mech will have its own focus point to where weapons fired from that location would be converged to:
(thank you Unbound Inferno for creating the original reticle graphic)
The player would still have a reference on where his shot would go, because the various stadia line on the reticle would remain the same.
A Reactive Reticle That Adjusts to Combat Conditions:
Next, the reticule would expand or constrict depending on the combat conditions; movement and range profiles of weapons would limit the maximum amount the reticule could constrict. If a player is at a full run his reticle will never fully converge. This value will be based on the throttle value, not actual speed, so a player in an Atlas moving 48kph at full throttle will have the same maximum convergence as a player in a Jenner moving at full throttle.
The Range Profiles of the weapons could be retained from the original board game values. The reticle would only gain complete convergence if in short range. Medium range would provide a slight penalty for maximum convergence, long range would provide a moderate penalty for maximum convergence tightness; extreme ranges would have very limited convergence.
To achieve a group to pinpoint precision, the firing 'Mech would have to position himself in optimal effective range -- the range profile from the lore rules says 90m is optimal range for medium lasers, 180m is medium range, and 270 is maximum range, lasers fired at 90m would have maximum convergence, 180 and so on would have larger reticules so less damage convergence on a single location -- provide a stable firing platform by not moving, and have the pinpoint skill.
Pulse lasers would have tighter convergence than ballistic weapons and would not be as affected by range as they were by lore suppose to be more accurate than other weapon systems; this accuracy bonus would help differentiate them from other weapons and give them a slight advantage as lasers are a high skill weapon, but have the potential to spread their damage as they are damage over time.
C3 could be added as equipment, as its function in the board game was to allow 'Mechs on a network to use other 'Mechs in the network's targeting data to reduce the penalty of firing at longer ranges; this could be added to this system as well, so having a spotter at close range with C3 could allow a 'Mech at longer ranges to gain tighter convergence. This would allow snipers to still be accurate, if a team mate acts as a spotter, making coordination and team play more of a factor for long range direct fire support, much like LRM fire requires a spotter currently. C3's functionality would be negated by ECM.
This system would require the player to obtain a lock on the enemy by hitting R. Convergence for group fire would not occur until the player selects a target and holds the reticle over the enemy; the reticle would visibly constrict over the target, giving the player clear reference where the various locations weapons would hit if fired at the target. This would require a work around for how ECM currently works; perhaps ECM protected 'Mechs would still be non-targetable by the R key, but if the open a player could manually target them by placing their reticule over an enemy in visual line of sight.
Factors Affecting The Speed of Convergence:
The rate in which the lock constricts would be governed by several things:
- Player's Heat Level - the hotter the 'Mech is, the slower convergence would be applied, giving a real downside to running hot.
- Target 'Mechs movement speed: this would help the survivability of faster 'Mechs, especially medium 'Mechs who are especially vulnerable in the current meta
- Pilot Tree Skills - give Pinpoint something to do, dammit
- Damage to Actuators - critical hits to actuators in the arm would slow convergence
What It Could Look Like:
(my note: the green lines are NOT part of the HUD, they are imaginary laser beams)
This picture is a mock up of what the convergence would look like - he is moving and though he is at close range for his weapons, his high heat level slowed the convergence spreed of his groups down but he chose to fire a group of weapons anyways - see how the damage would be spread over the enemy 'Mech? Nearly every other shooter has similar systems of expanding reticules to display inaccuracy caused by running, ect so new players familiar with shooter games should have no problem adapting to it, especially as it is not a randomized cone; the reticule has the points of aim for the locations with the stadia lines of the crosshairs.
Group fired snap shots or shots fired at non-targeted enemies would be fired at an accuracy penalty as the targeting computer did not have time to converge properly. However the reticle would still provide the pilot with an idea where his shots will go, and since shooting errors are angular in nature the effective of shooting a group with the larger, unconverged reticle at short ranges would be much less severe then attempting to shoot at an unconverged target far away, and the player always has an option for single fired weapons, which are not affected by convergence and have a separate, constant aiming point.
The new system would force the player to have to choose - if he wants precision when firing a group of weapons he either has to offer himself up as a stationary target which would allow the enemy's computer quicker convergence on him, or fire a single weapon rather than a large alpha strike. If he wants to put out brutal force, he can fire a group, but the damage would be spread over the 'Mech.
This new system would not be a random cone of fire; the player has very distinct points of aim at all times for his weapon systems, and is in control of managing his speed and heat to achieve maximum potential for firing weapon groups, but in general should mitigate the trends we have been seeing where 'Mechs are being cored completely to the center torso by large, long range alpha strikes -- sometimes in a single volley.
This is the work of DocBach copied from his thread http://mwomercs.com/...active-reticle/ it has more information about his reasoning and other peoples comments if you wish for further clarification.
___________________________________________________________________________
A New Reticle For Group Fired Weapons:
The original reticle would be retained for the purposes of providing the player an aiming reference point for single fired weapons. An additional expanding and contracting reticle would be added around the existing reticle to serve as a group firing reticle. Instead of having the center of the reticule be the point of convergence for grouped weapons, each location of the 'Mech will have its own focus point to where weapons fired from that location would be converged to:
(thank you Unbound Inferno for creating the original reticle graphic)
The player would still have a reference on where his shot would go, because the various stadia line on the reticle would remain the same.
A Reactive Reticle That Adjusts to Combat Conditions:
Next, the reticule would expand or constrict depending on the combat conditions; movement and range profiles of weapons would limit the maximum amount the reticule could constrict. If a player is at a full run his reticle will never fully converge. This value will be based on the throttle value, not actual speed, so a player in an Atlas moving 48kph at full throttle will have the same maximum convergence as a player in a Jenner moving at full throttle.
The Range Profiles of the weapons could be retained from the original board game values. The reticle would only gain complete convergence if in short range. Medium range would provide a slight penalty for maximum convergence, long range would provide a moderate penalty for maximum convergence tightness; extreme ranges would have very limited convergence.
To achieve a group to pinpoint precision, the firing 'Mech would have to position himself in optimal effective range -- the range profile from the lore rules says 90m is optimal range for medium lasers, 180m is medium range, and 270 is maximum range, lasers fired at 90m would have maximum convergence, 180 and so on would have larger reticules so less damage convergence on a single location -- provide a stable firing platform by not moving, and have the pinpoint skill.
Pulse lasers would have tighter convergence than ballistic weapons and would not be as affected by range as they were by lore suppose to be more accurate than other weapon systems; this accuracy bonus would help differentiate them from other weapons and give them a slight advantage as lasers are a high skill weapon, but have the potential to spread their damage as they are damage over time.
C3 could be added as equipment, as its function in the board game was to allow 'Mechs on a network to use other 'Mechs in the network's targeting data to reduce the penalty of firing at longer ranges; this could be added to this system as well, so having a spotter at close range with C3 could allow a 'Mech at longer ranges to gain tighter convergence. This would allow snipers to still be accurate, if a team mate acts as a spotter, making coordination and team play more of a factor for long range direct fire support, much like LRM fire requires a spotter currently. C3's functionality would be negated by ECM.
This system would require the player to obtain a lock on the enemy by hitting R. Convergence for group fire would not occur until the player selects a target and holds the reticle over the enemy; the reticle would visibly constrict over the target, giving the player clear reference where the various locations weapons would hit if fired at the target. This would require a work around for how ECM currently works; perhaps ECM protected 'Mechs would still be non-targetable by the R key, but if the open a player could manually target them by placing their reticule over an enemy in visual line of sight.
Factors Affecting The Speed of Convergence:
The rate in which the lock constricts would be governed by several things:
- Player's Heat Level - the hotter the 'Mech is, the slower convergence would be applied, giving a real downside to running hot.
- Target 'Mechs movement speed: this would help the survivability of faster 'Mechs, especially medium 'Mechs who are especially vulnerable in the current meta
- Pilot Tree Skills - give Pinpoint something to do, dammit
- Damage to Actuators - critical hits to actuators in the arm would slow convergence
What It Could Look Like:
(my note: the green lines are NOT part of the HUD, they are imaginary laser beams)
This picture is a mock up of what the convergence would look like - he is moving and though he is at close range for his weapons, his high heat level slowed the convergence spreed of his groups down but he chose to fire a group of weapons anyways - see how the damage would be spread over the enemy 'Mech? Nearly every other shooter has similar systems of expanding reticules to display inaccuracy caused by running, ect so new players familiar with shooter games should have no problem adapting to it, especially as it is not a randomized cone; the reticule has the points of aim for the locations with the stadia lines of the crosshairs.
Group fired snap shots or shots fired at non-targeted enemies would be fired at an accuracy penalty as the targeting computer did not have time to converge properly. However the reticle would still provide the pilot with an idea where his shots will go, and since shooting errors are angular in nature the effective of shooting a group with the larger, unconverged reticle at short ranges would be much less severe then attempting to shoot at an unconverged target far away, and the player always has an option for single fired weapons, which are not affected by convergence and have a separate, constant aiming point.
The new system would force the player to have to choose - if he wants precision when firing a group of weapons he either has to offer himself up as a stationary target which would allow the enemy's computer quicker convergence on him, or fire a single weapon rather than a large alpha strike. If he wants to put out brutal force, he can fire a group, but the damage would be spread over the 'Mech.
This new system would not be a random cone of fire; the player has very distinct points of aim at all times for his weapon systems, and is in control of managing his speed and heat to achieve maximum potential for firing weapon groups, but in general should mitigate the trends we have been seeing where 'Mechs are being cored completely to the center torso by large, long range alpha strikes -- sometimes in a single volley.
Homeless Bill's targeting computer load (preventable random factors)
Spoiler
This is the work of Homeless Bill it is from his thread http://mwomercs.com/...oats-and-clans/ it has more information about his reasoning and other peoples comments if you wish for further clarification.
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No skimming on this part. My solution is to implement a scale that represents the load on the targeting computer (TCL). Each weapon would, similar to heat, have an associated targeting computer stress value (TCS). When a weapon (or group) is fired, the stress value of all about-to-fire weapons are added to the load on the targeting computer. The targeting computer load automatically dissipates at a constant rate of 100 per second.
When the load is between 0 and 100, there are no ill effects. When it goes over 100, all missile locks and Artemis functionality are lost, convergence stops working (all weapons fire straight ahead), and you begin to take a small accuracy penalty (cone of fire) to any shots fired. Locking capability, Artemis, and convergence are not restored until the load on the targeting computer reaches 100 or below.
From 101 to 200, the accuracy penalty gets progressively worse (the cone of fire expands). Each weapon fires at its own accuracy offset, rather than all picking the same skew. The pilot can continue to drive the targeting computer load up to a maximum of 500 by continuing to fire, but the effects of a targeting computer overload reach their worst at 200.
To clarify, you can't get away with one free alpha strike; TCL values are added and penalties are applied before the shots are fired.
This is the work of Homeless Bill it is from his thread http://mwomercs.com/...oats-and-clans/ it has more information about his reasoning and other peoples comments if you wish for further clarification.
_______________________________________________________________________
No skimming on this part. My solution is to implement a scale that represents the load on the targeting computer (TCL). Each weapon would, similar to heat, have an associated targeting computer stress value (TCS). When a weapon (or group) is fired, the stress value of all about-to-fire weapons are added to the load on the targeting computer. The targeting computer load automatically dissipates at a constant rate of 100 per second.
When the load is between 0 and 100, there are no ill effects. When it goes over 100, all missile locks and Artemis functionality are lost, convergence stops working (all weapons fire straight ahead), and you begin to take a small accuracy penalty (cone of fire) to any shots fired. Locking capability, Artemis, and convergence are not restored until the load on the targeting computer reaches 100 or below.
From 101 to 200, the accuracy penalty gets progressively worse (the cone of fire expands). Each weapon fires at its own accuracy offset, rather than all picking the same skew. The pilot can continue to drive the targeting computer load up to a maximum of 500 by continuing to fire, but the effects of a targeting computer overload reach their worst at 200.
To clarify, you can't get away with one free alpha strike; TCL values are added and penalties are applied before the shots are fired.
Manual Convergence (no random factors)
Spoiler
Weapons will all converge at a range you determine yourself. This could be done with either a +/- convergence range using a button, or be controlled by a zoom wheel on a mouse, or throttle on a flightstick depending on how it is implemented.
As you can change the range of convergence this is pure skill, however it will add some effort to get that convergence making it more difficult for quick snap shots at a target.
I have seen a similar method where you could only preset the convergence range mentioned in a post I would consider that a subclass of this.
Below this line is the post by wolf74 (it was inside Docbachs thread http://mwomercs.com/...33#entry2487633
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I think Switching to a Manual Controlled Convergence point is the way to go. Yes it is Harder for Newer players but when you hit it is Truly your Skill or Dumb Luck that got the shot. I have been a Video Gamer & Battletech fan a long time. (Yes this will be about the 4th time I have posted my thoughts just not in this thread)
Con’s:
Harder for New Player (unless they have played a GOOD WW2 Tank sim than it will be a cake walk for them).
Pro’s:
Gives Pin point damage for those who wait for the right range for the shot or can make the Corrections on the fly.
High odds of spreading the damage around the targets.
Gives Classic Battletech Targeting Computer* a reason to be in the game
Give Pulse Lasers a Reason to be used over normal Lasers
Things I would give the players if Manual Convergence is put in:
+-5m auto Correction. (AKA if you target is within 5m of you Convergence point it will hit pin point).
CBT Target Computers* upgrades the +-5m auto-correction to +-15m.
Pulse Laser (Does not stack with Targeting Computers) get a +-25m auto-Correction
Add a Column to the score page:
If using the current targeting system listed the player as a Rookie Pilot
If using the Manual Controlled Targeting listed the player as a Mechwarrior
Add a boost to the Damage C-Bills (Only the Damage C-Bills) if the player is playing using the Manual Controlled system (Can only be changed in the MechLab)
*The I.S. Targeting Computer are normally not in game until 3058 but for game play reasons & New Player support I think most CBT player will over look the Date to help the Game along.
Weapons will all converge at a range you determine yourself. This could be done with either a +/- convergence range using a button, or be controlled by a zoom wheel on a mouse, or throttle on a flightstick depending on how it is implemented.
As you can change the range of convergence this is pure skill, however it will add some effort to get that convergence making it more difficult for quick snap shots at a target.
I have seen a similar method where you could only preset the convergence range mentioned in a post I would consider that a subclass of this.
Below this line is the post by wolf74 (it was inside Docbachs thread http://mwomercs.com/...33#entry2487633
_______________________________________________________________________________
I think Switching to a Manual Controlled Convergence point is the way to go. Yes it is Harder for Newer players but when you hit it is Truly your Skill or Dumb Luck that got the shot. I have been a Video Gamer & Battletech fan a long time. (Yes this will be about the 4th time I have posted my thoughts just not in this thread)
Con’s:
Harder for New Player (unless they have played a GOOD WW2 Tank sim than it will be a cake walk for them).
Pro’s:
Gives Pin point damage for those who wait for the right range for the shot or can make the Corrections on the fly.
High odds of spreading the damage around the targets.
Gives Classic Battletech Targeting Computer* a reason to be in the game
Give Pulse Lasers a Reason to be used over normal Lasers
Things I would give the players if Manual Convergence is put in:
+-5m auto Correction. (AKA if you target is within 5m of you Convergence point it will hit pin point).
CBT Target Computers* upgrades the +-5m auto-correction to +-15m.
Pulse Laser (Does not stack with Targeting Computers) get a +-25m auto-Correction
Add a Column to the score page:
If using the current targeting system listed the player as a Rookie Pilot
If using the Manual Controlled Targeting listed the player as a Mechwarrior
Add a boost to the Damage C-Bills (Only the Damage C-Bills) if the player is playing using the Manual Controlled system (Can only be changed in the MechLab)
*The I.S. Targeting Computer are normally not in game until 3058 but for game play reasons & New Player support I think most CBT player will over look the Date to help the Game along.
DarkJaguar's (Mix of cone of fire with fixed torso convergence point, and other factors) (some random factors)
Spoiler
for full post see post 39 on this thread, or http://mwomercs.com/...er-fix-balance/
Convergence
The final factor I wish to discuss in this post is convergence, or how every weapon will travel directly to your reticle and converge on it exactly at the range indicated. There are several ways to lessen the effects of “convergence” and all of them should be executed concurrently. The first option I would suggest, is to have all torso weapons converge at their max effective range (I.E. torso mounted medium lasers converge at 270m.) While arm mounted weapons may continue to converge at the reticle but limit the inward convergence to a set number of degrees (the purpose being that arm mounted weapons cannot converge on a target within a certain range, still allowing hits, but spreading them out over the target). The next step is to add a bit of “randomness” to the actual impact point. This should scale with the number of weapons fired concurrently (as it taxes the targeting computer) but a good “Baseline” would be the number of degrees it takes to form the radius of a circle that covers a hunchback’s chest at that weapons max range. (about .25 degrees at 270m using medium lasers.). While single firing a weapon, perhaps half of that variance is used, while at four the full variance comes into play. See below for an illustration.
Finally, as a simulation of the load placed on the power supply of the mech, limit the number of weapons that can be fired concurrently (perhaps even assign a power consumption value to weapons, and a power output to engines). For example, using arbitrary examples, say a STD 300 engine can output 20MW of energy, medium lasers consume 3MW each, while PPCs consume 11MW each. In this scenario, 6 medium lasers could fire concurrently, but only 1 PPC could fire at a time (with the next one available immediately after the first is done firing). Now the heaviest weapons must contend with not only their firing variance, but can now only fire a limited number at the same time.
for full post see post 39 on this thread, or http://mwomercs.com/...er-fix-balance/
Convergence
The final factor I wish to discuss in this post is convergence, or how every weapon will travel directly to your reticle and converge on it exactly at the range indicated. There are several ways to lessen the effects of “convergence” and all of them should be executed concurrently. The first option I would suggest, is to have all torso weapons converge at their max effective range (I.E. torso mounted medium lasers converge at 270m.) While arm mounted weapons may continue to converge at the reticle but limit the inward convergence to a set number of degrees (the purpose being that arm mounted weapons cannot converge on a target within a certain range, still allowing hits, but spreading them out over the target). The next step is to add a bit of “randomness” to the actual impact point. This should scale with the number of weapons fired concurrently (as it taxes the targeting computer) but a good “Baseline” would be the number of degrees it takes to form the radius of a circle that covers a hunchback’s chest at that weapons max range. (about .25 degrees at 270m using medium lasers.). While single firing a weapon, perhaps half of that variance is used, while at four the full variance comes into play. See below for an illustration.
Finally, as a simulation of the load placed on the power supply of the mech, limit the number of weapons that can be fired concurrently (perhaps even assign a power consumption value to weapons, and a power output to engines). For example, using arbitrary examples, say a STD 300 engine can output 20MW of energy, medium lasers consume 3MW each, while PPCs consume 11MW each. In this scenario, 6 medium lasers could fire concurrently, but only 1 PPC could fire at a time (with the next one available immediately after the first is done firing). Now the heaviest weapons must contend with not only their firing variance, but can now only fire a limited number at the same time.
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Some well written Posts having to do with convergence in general, did not think of this right away, but will try to add more to cover different viewpoints.
Precision vs Accuracy
Spoiler
Roland, on 02 July 2013 - 05:30 PM, said:
Technically, the weapons should all be PRECISE, not necessarily accurate. These are different things.
That is, for any particular set of circumstances, the shooter should be able to predict exactly where a shot from any particular weapon will go. Similar to having a rifle whose sight is misaligned, but whose misalignment is known to the owner. The shooter may know that the gun always drifts to the right, and can simply compensate for that known factor, since it is PRECISE, although perhaps not accurate. Understanding of the misalignment, coupled with the precision, can then lead to accuracy in the hands of a skilled shooter.
Similarly, with weapons mounted on a mech, you could have perfectly precise weaponry (that is, for a given setup, pulling the trigger for one weapon will land one shot after another on the exact same location). However, it may be somewhat inaccurate in regards to the actual aiming reticle. The easiest and most simple inaccuracy would be based upon the location of the weapon on the mech. For instance, a weapon mounted on the right torso would fire slightly to the right of the center of the aiming reticle.
The effect of this is that you could have perfectly precise weapons (i.e., ones that fired with absolutely zero luck or random chance, thus preserving all skill on the part of the shooter) but whose inaccuracy did not match perfectly with each other, preventing the shooter from firing all of them together and having them ALL hit the exact same location.
By adding inaccuracy, while preserving precision, we can make a more complex convergence system which preserves skill on the part of the shooter.
That is, for any particular set of circumstances, the shooter should be able to predict exactly where a shot from any particular weapon will go. Similar to having a rifle whose sight is misaligned, but whose misalignment is known to the owner. The shooter may know that the gun always drifts to the right, and can simply compensate for that known factor, since it is PRECISE, although perhaps not accurate. Understanding of the misalignment, coupled with the precision, can then lead to accuracy in the hands of a skilled shooter.
Similarly, with weapons mounted on a mech, you could have perfectly precise weaponry (that is, for a given setup, pulling the trigger for one weapon will land one shot after another on the exact same location). However, it may be somewhat inaccurate in regards to the actual aiming reticle. The easiest and most simple inaccuracy would be based upon the location of the weapon on the mech. For instance, a weapon mounted on the right torso would fire slightly to the right of the center of the aiming reticle.
The effect of this is that you could have perfectly precise weapons (i.e., ones that fired with absolutely zero luck or random chance, thus preserving all skill on the part of the shooter) but whose inaccuracy did not match perfectly with each other, preventing the shooter from firing all of them together and having them ALL hit the exact same location.
By adding inaccuracy, while preserving precision, we can make a more complex convergence system which preserves skill on the part of the shooter.
Edited by Ningyo, 02 July 2013 - 07:06 PM.
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